Title: The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle
Author: Jennifer Ryan
Publisher: Random House Publishing - Ballantine
Release Date: May 31, 2022
Genre: Historical World War II Fiction
Three plucky women lift the spirits of home-front brides in wartime Britain, where clothes rationing leaves little opportunity for pomp or celebration-even at weddings-in this heartwarming novel based on true events, from the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir.
After renowned fashion designer Cressida Westcott loses both her home and her design house in the London Blitz, she has nowhere to go but the family manor house she fled decades ago. Praying that her niece and nephew will be more hospitable than her brother had been, she arrives with nothing but the clothes she stands in, at a loss as to how to rebuild her business while staying in a quaint country village.
Her niece, Violet Westcott, is thrilled that her famous aunt is coming to stay—the village has been interminably dull with all the men off fighting. But just as Cressida arrives, so does Violet’s conscription letter. It couldn’t have come at a worse time; how will she ever find a suitably aristocratic husband if she has to spend her days wearing a frumpy uniform and doing war work?
Meanwhile, the local vicar’s daughter, Grace Carlisle, is trying in vain to repair her mother’s gown, her only chance of a white wedding. When Cressida Westcott appears at the local Sewing Circle meeting, Grace asks for her help—but Cressida has much more to teach the ladies than just simple sewing skills.
Before long, Cressida’s spirit and ambition galvanizes the village group into action, and they find themselves mending wedding dresses not only for local brides, but for brides across the country. And as the women dedicate themselves to helping others celebrate love, they might even manage to find it for themselves.
I fell absolutely head over heels for The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle. I recently started teaching myself how to sew, so my first draw to this novel was the title, as was the lovely cover. I never could have imagined, based on a title and a cover, that this narrative was going to be so immersive! I was captivated from the beginning, immediately invested in Grace, Cressida, and Violet as they try to continue on with a semblance of a normal life as World War II is raging.
Vivid imagery and wonderful world building puts you into the lives of these three women, each dealing with their own personal struggles amid a tense British backdrop, bringing to light personal insecurities and hidden desires. I was enchanted from the first chapter and practically read the entire novel in one sitting, despite its length.
I have read a lot of historical fiction recently, especially since the market has been positively saturated lately, but The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle highlighted something I haven’t really thought about. Violet is from polite English society and during the war the social class lines had started to blur, which she brings up multiple times, as she wants to marry because of a title and not love. Though I’ve read plenty of regency novels I’ve never thought about the transition from regency to modern society, and it’s definitely something I want to explore further.
Being a heavily character-driven novel, I admired the development of each character in their own rights, both the main character and the supporting characters as well. Each have to face their own personal issues, and while they each deal with the hard situations they each find themselves in, none of them are having to deal with these issues alone. There is such grace and personal growth and all the characters find the strength to do things they would’ve never dreamed, both in love and otherwise.
As far as relationships go, Ben and Cressida’s friendship and adoration for one another was one of my favorite parts of this novel. I’m not sure if it’s because I am closer in age to them than I am to the other characters or just the overall vibe they gave, but the scenes of the two of them together were truly touching and absolutely tugged on my heartstrings.
There is a lot of truth in this novel, like the clothing shortage, and other heartbreaking yet resourceful details that were a part of life in England during the war, which I also found utterly fascinating. Even though there is a lot of historical fiction surrounding the second world war I am pleased to still be learning things that I didn’t know before.
As you can see by this incredibly long review I can’t say enough about The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle. It is a clean read that doesn’t lack passion, heart, or the strength that can come from love and friendship, and I cannot recommend it enough!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from Random House Publishing - Ballantine through NetGalley. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.
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